Chapter 2- Reunion cont
by Shiika777
Summary: Sly tries to escape Rainbow Cliffs, but something halts his escape...


Ty went near the edge and sat down and stared at the water. He needed to sort through his thoughts.

Sly was making his way down the cliff where everyone else had come, quietly and carefully. He didn't know where anyone had gone, and he didn't want to be seen by anyone. He just wanted to find a way out. He couldn't bear the thought of shaming his family and breaking their hearts. Guilt and shame consumed his mind (and also clouded his judgment). He was grateful that Ty hadn't said anything to them, but wondered how long his secret would be hidden from his family. He stopped when he saw Ty sitting at the edge of the cliff. He was concealed by a shadow, but he needed to get past him. He saw a path behind Ty; he planned to follow it to see where it went. As long as it didn't lead to the lab, he didn't care where it led him. He couldn't face his family now, especially not Ty.

Ty seemed off in his own world; he was deep in thought. If Sly could just make it down a few more feet, he could sneak along the cliff wall down the path behind Ty (the path actually leads to Pippy Beach, the cave originally blocked with ice). Once out of sight, he had a chance of running away.

He slowly descended the remaining few feet to the path. He hit a few pebbles when he was almost down. Ty's ears perked up, but he didn't turn his head. Sly froze and controlled his breathing; he didn't know what Ty was going to do.

Ty froze and controlled his breathing as well. He didn't want to miss another sound. A few minutes passed. Ty's ears lowered again and he relaxed his body. Sly remained tense for a few minutes longer. He wanted to wait until Ty was lost in thought again before he made another move.

After a few more minutes, Sly slowly lowered himself until he was on all fours. He was gonna leap to the path and take off running. It was a long shot, but he didn't want to wait there any longer, and he didn't want to climb back up; it was too risky since he would be moving slowly with his back turned. He was about to leap when Ty started to his feet. He turned and walked toward Julius's lab, head hanging down and hands in his pockets. Sly watched him. It broke his heart to see his baby bro so depressed, so hurt, so confused. He wanted to comfort him like he used to when Ty was a baby. It seemed like whenever he was afraid or upset, Sly was always there for him (if nothing else but to be a giant teddy bear for Ty to fall asleep on). Tears started forming in his eyes again, and he felt sick to his stomach. He turned away sharply and tried to muffle his sobs. He sank lower to the ground, but his hand slipped on the rock. His chest hit the rock and knocked the wind out of him. Ty was a good distance away now, but stopped when he heard what faintly sounded like someone being hit. He turned and started walking back, cautiously.

"Crap," said Sly, still fighting back tears. He was mad that he had been so careless for a second. He didn't know whether or not Ty heard him. He slowly got back to his hands and knees; he felt like he was about to vomit any second. He tried to hold it in for fear of being heard. He struggled to his feet, feeling dizzy and nauseous. He leaned against the wall. His ears perked up when he heard footsteps coming his way.

"Crap. He did hear me," Sly said under his breath. *sigh* "Can't take anymore chances…" And with that he leaped down to the path and started sprinting. The way looked familiar to him; he recognized it from when he spied on Ty earlier, when he first came to Pippy Beach. "If I can just make it to the cave," he thought, "I can hide there until everyone leaves."

As he was about to enter the cave, he heard footsteps behind him: someone was running after him.

"Crap," he thought. "Better run faster." He sprinted even faster into the cave. However, he couldn't see where he was going, and tripped on the uneven floor and rolled to the water's edge. "*sigh* Great…" He heard footsteps outside, and knew he couldn't sit there any longer. He sprang to his feet and jumped to a ledge. He hid behind a rock and crouched down.

Ty ran into the cave and stopped at the water's edge. He looked around at first, then noticed that the water was moving slightly near him. "Weird…no wind blowing and no salties in here…" He then noticed the ground. "Hm…looks like someone slid here…marks are new."

Sly was mentally pummeling himself. How could he have been so stupid and careless? He tried to control his breathing, but he was out of breath. So he decided to take long, slow, deep breaths quietly to avoid detection.

Ty stepped into the water to have a better look around. He saw that the other side of the cave had a trail of water coming down from a ledge.

He stopped in the middle of the water. "Hmm…so that's where he's hiding…or she…" he thought. He knew that whoever, or whatever, it was would have to come down eventually; Sly knew this as well, and he sensed that Ty knew it, too. Now he was just awaiting the inevitable: discovery.

Ty turned and started walking out of the cave. Sly heard the splashes growing distant. "Is he…leaving?" He questioned mentally. "He had to have seen the trail of water coming down from here. Why's he leaving?"

Ty got to the water's edge, then stopped and looked behind him. "Well, whoever, or whatever, that is up there will have to come down sometime," he thought. "Maybe I'll see who it is if I stand outside for a while…" And with that he walked out of the cave.

Sly listened to make sure he was gone. He heard the footsteps grow fainter and fainter, and finally stop altogether. He resumed his regular breathing, and slowly peered from behind the rock to see if Ty had really gone. He saw that he was and breathed a sigh of relief; he was finally alone. He stretched out on the rock and closed his eyes for a few minutes to rest. But he knew he couldn't stay in the cave. Ty knew where he was, and his family, Shazza, Maurie, and Julius were out there, waiting for Ty. He couldn't risk being caught. He sat up. "I gotta leave this place…for good," he thought.

He jumped down to the edge of the water and walked to the cave entrance. He tredded carefully; he didn't know if anyone was near the cave. When he reached the mouth, he looked around outside; no one was in sight. He saw wet footprints leading away from the cave. Satisfied he walked out and stood on the path.

"Good. Now I just need to find somewhere to go," he said to himself.

He started walking slowly down the path, closer to the edge of the cliff. He'd retrace his steps and climb to the top. From there…he would walk.

He neared the ledge where he previously hid from Ty and put his hand on the wall. He hung his head. "*sigh* There's no turning back now…" he said remorsefully as he lifted his head.

"So it _was_ you in there…" a voice said from around the corner.

Sly froze. He knew the voice. He turned and looked around the corner. It was Ty, sitting there with his arms in his lap, staring into his brother's eyes with a look of confusion, anger, and frustration on his face. Sly stared into Ty's eyes, fearing what he would do next…


End file.
